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The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Christian Martyrdom

Paul Middleton (Edited by)

9781119099826, Wiley

Hardback, published 6 February 2020

560 pages
24.6 x 17.5 x 3.8 cm, 1.111 kg

"Overall, this volume presents a needed correction to the sensationalist studies of martyrdom that have dominated the topic since the dawn of the 'War on Terror.'"
—Journal of Jesuit Studies, Volume 8: Issue 1

"A good Companion helps you to realise how multi-faceted a topic is and to explore several new dimensions of an area of study hitherto only skimmed. This one does exactly that."
—Anabaptism Today 3.1 April 2021

"This substantial and impressive volume delivers to readers dozens of compelling and diverse approaches to studying Christian martyrdom, the foci of which collectively span more than two millennia, virtually the entire globe, and an unexpectedly wide array of cultural and religious traditions."
—Church History, Volume 9: Issue 4, December 2021

A unique, wide-ranging volume exploring the historical, religious, cultural, political, and social aspects of Christian martyrdom

Although a well-studied and researched topic in early Christianity, martyrdom had become a relatively neglected subject of scholarship by the latter half of the 20th century. However, in the years following the attack on the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001, the study of martyrdom has experienced a remarkable resurgence. Heightened cultural, religious, and political debates about Islamic martyrdom have, in a large part, prompted increased interest in the role of martyrdom in the Christian tradition. The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Christian Martyrdom is a comprehensive examination of the phenomenon from its beginnings to its role in the present day. This timely volume presents essays written by 30 prominent scholars that explore the fundamental concepts, key questions, and contemporary debates surrounding martyrdom in Christianity.

Broad in scope, this volume explores topics ranging from the origins, influences, and theology of martyrdom in the early church, with particular emphasis placed on the Martyr Acts, to contemporary issues of gender, identity construction, and the place of martyrdom in the modern church. Essays address the role of martyrdom after the establishment of Christendom, especially its crucial contribution during and after the Reformation period in the development of Christian and European national-building, as well as its role in forming Christian identities in Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This important contribution to Christian scholarship:

  • Offers the first comprehensive reference work to examine the topic of martyrdom throughout Christian history
  • Includes an exploration of martyrdom and its links to traditions in Judaism and Islam
  • Covers extensive geographical zones, time periods, and perspectives
  • Provides topical commentary on Islamic martyrdom and its parallels to the Christian church
  • Discusses hotly debated topics such as the extent of the Roman persecution of early Christians

The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Christian Martyrdom is an invaluable resource for scholars and students of religious studies, theology, and Christian history, as well as readers with interest in the topic of Christian martyrdom.

List of Contributors viii

Acknowledgments xiii

List of Abbreviations xv

I. Introductory Matters 1

1 Introduction 3
Paul Middleton

2 Creating and Contesting Christian Martyrdom 12
Paul Middleton

II. Early Christian Martyrdom 31

3 The Roman Persecutions 33
James Corke-Webster

4 Martyrdom and Persecution in the New Testament 51
Paul Middleton

5 Early Jewish and Christian Martyrdom 72
Jan Willem van Henten

6 Martyrdom in Roman Context 88
L. Stephanie Cobb

7 Themes and Intertextualities in Pre-Nicene Exhortations to Martyrdom 102
Paul A. Hartog

8 Early Christian Theologies of Martyrdom 120
Jane D. McLarty

9 Augustine and the Remaking of Martyrdom 135
Annemaré Kotzé

10 Legenda aut non legenda? The Quest for the Literary Genre of the Acts of the Martyrs 151
Danny Praet

11 Martyrdom and Gender 184
Robert Paul Seesengood

12 Martyrdom and the Creation of Christian Identity 199
Matthew Recla

III. Martyrdom in the Medieval and Reformation World 215

13 Early Christian Martyr Cults 217
David L. Eastman

14 A Middle (Byzantine) Martyr: The Power and Point of Productive Suffering 236
Brenda Llewellyn Ihssen

15 Bohemian Martyrdom at the Dawn of the Reformation 255
Thomas A. Fudge

16 Does the Cause make the Martyr? Sebastian Castellio and John Calvin Debate the Execution of Michael Servetus 271
Nicholas Thompson

17 Anabaptist Martyrdom 287
Lloyd K. Pietersen

18 England’s Eusebius: John Foxe and the Acts and Monuments 305
Sarah Covington

19 The Elizabethan Martyrs 322
Victor Houliston and Aislinn Muller

20 The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Nation: Martyrdom in Reformation England 338
Susan Royal

IV. Martyrdom in Global Perspective 355

21 Martyrdom in Roman Catholic Perspective 357
Lawrence S. Cunningham

22 The Franciscans 365
Christopher MacEvitt

23 Christian Martyrdom in Asia: Bearing Testimony to the Love of God 381
Peter C. Phan

24 Christian Martyrdom in Korea 406
Franklin Rausch

25 Christian Martyrdom in Africa 421
Kevin Ward

26 “Dying Well” in Latin America: Christian Martyrdom, Religion and Politics 437
María Soledad Catoggio

27 Martyrdom in Modern America 454
Scott W. Hoffman

V. Legacies of Martyrdom 469

28 Martyrdom Discourse in Contemporary U.S. War-culture 471
Kelly Denton-Borhaug

29 Digital Representations of Martyrdom 485
Jonas Kurlberg and Jolyon Mitchell

30 The Legacy and Future of Christian Martyrdom 501
Michael P. Jensen

Index 514

Subject Areas: Religion & beliefs [HR]
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